Mr John Williams, by his will dated
December 5th 1868, proved at Exeter on February 4th 1870,
bequeathed £500 to the vicar and churchwardens of
Saint Andrew's Church, Plymouth, and another £500 to the
vicar and churchwardens of
Charles' Church, Plymouth. Both were to invest it in
Government securities and distribute the income to poor persons
within their respective parish. No individual person was to
receive more than ten shillings or less than 2s 6d in any one
year.

By an Order of the Charity Commissioners
dated March 22nd 1878 the
Saint Andrew's Church sum was transferred to the Official
Trustees of Charitable Funds. A similar Order dated December
6th 1878 covered the money given to
Charles' Church.

In 1908 the
Saint Andrew's Gift earned a dividend of £13 9s, which was
combined with other charitable gifts and distributed according
to a formula between the new parishes that had been created
within the ancient parish of
Saint Andrew's. The vicar of
Saint Andrew's paid out his portion (which totalled £14 18s
8d) in food tickets through the agency of district visitors; the
vicar of Christ Church distributed coals, groceries, bread and meat
by tickets (£3 3s 5d); in
Holy Trinity parish it was given out in the form of food and
groceries (£3 3s 5d); while the vicar of
Saint Peter's gave his sum (£8 14s 6d) to the St Peter's
Mission House to be distributed to the sick and the poor. In
the parish of
Saint James the Less the money (£2 7s 7d) was administered
by a committee.

In the same year the
Charles' Gift earned £13 10s and this was distributed in sums
of five shillings or 2s 6d, mainly to the old women of the
parish, usually the same ones each year.

These Gifts should not be confused with
those given by another
Mr John Williams in 1839.